Browse by:

Like Wildfire

A couple is spreading God’s fame among their people who have never known the name of Jesus.

by an Alliance international worker serving in a creative-access country

Zeke* and Melissa are new believers—the first Christians in their people group.

We met this couple through a literacy project our teammates joined in partnership with another agency several years ago. Zeke was the team’s translator.

Proclaiming the Good News

As the team proclaimed the gospel, they also shared their lives with Zeke and Melissa’s family (see 1 Thessalonians 2:8). Our colleagues were ambassadors for Christ to this open-hearted couple.

It is difficult to convey the complexity, messiness, and amount of human resources and time that are a part of a huge spiritual breakthrough here, but about two years ago, Zeke was led to Christ by the team’s literacy coordinator.

We later learned that as Melissa listened to their conversation, she also jumped at the chance to trust in Christ.

“Before the Light came to our people we were walking in darkness and didn’t even know it!” Zeke now exclaims.

Witnessing God’s Glory

Over the past year as we’ve discipled this couple, we’ve been blessed to witness their hunger for God. Zeke and Melissa have opened the door for others in their family to be introduced to the gospel through the Bible studies they’ve held in their little home.

They have also witnessed God’s glory—a toothache, a back problem, and a broken leg were healed by the power of Christ.

Zeke and Melissa are spreading God’s fame among their people, who have never known the name of Jesus.

Freed from Destructive Practices

The truth of the gospel is also setting them free from destructive cultural practices. Melissa tells me that gossip in her village runs rampant—like wildfire. She describes how the women go house to house, “talking about things that don’t matter, judging others, and wasting time.”

Melissa is excited to spend her time reading the Bible, peacefully going about her days without the pursuit of the things of “the old life.” She now describes her home as a place where people are welcome to enter, rest, have tea and food, laugh, and chat about things that are good and true.

“But if they want to sit around and talk ugly about others, they can go somewhere else. That’s not what this home is for—it’s God’s house now,” she emphasizes.

Wonderful News

We’ve been praying with Melissa for a village in which some of her close relatives live. She has been sharing the good news there, loving, and believing for a breakthrough—I just heard a few days ago that several in this village have come to faith!

As the Lord has been using this couple to spread the good news, concerns about persecution have increased as well. A neighboring family has threatened to get the police involved because Zeke and Melissa “have sold out their religion to benefit from the foreigners.”

Please join our team in praying for these precious ones and for the good news to spread like wildfire throughout their whole people group.

*Names changed

Learn More

Check out people groups of the world lacking access to the good news. Praying for them is an effective way for Alliance people to help fulfill the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18–20).